The present invention pertains to a processing of a plurality of coils each formed by winding a belt-like metallic strip, and particularly relates to a method of transferring coils, in which the coils are placed at both the exit side and the entry side of a welding machine through a coil transfer line made by combining transfer means with various equipment including the welding machine, resulting in positioning the forward coil and the rear coil, and after placing both coils in a continuous state by welding them with the welding machine, the rear coil is transferred while the forward coil is being taken up and the sag in the strip is absorbed, and then the rear coil is stacked on the forward coil. The present invention also relates to equipment which has coils each made by winding a belt-like metallic strip welded together thus forming them into a continuous coil, then to transfer the rear position coil as viewed in the coil transfer direction while taking up the coil at the forward position, then the rear coil is stacked on the forward coil.
The metallic strip is in general processed into a form having desired properties and thickness by repeated rolling and heat treatment on an ingot and finally it is slit into a desired width by a slitter, wherein the width direction of the strip is made parallel with the central axis of the coil, and at the same time formed into a coil of the strips being taken up with slit edges being put in line. And such a coil is to have various fabrication processes made thereon as it is used as a metallic raw material. For example, a process of welding the strips of a plurality of coils together is to make coils into a continuous form.
Now, this type of coil is of a large size, that is, for example the minimum diameter of 600 mm and the maximum diameter of 1,000 mm, and further, they have an appreciable weight, such as 100 to 300 kg for a coil of copper alloy. Therefore, considerable difficulties are encountered in handling and processing coils, for example when the coils are formed into a continuous form as mentioned.
There will be a number of problems that must be solved, for example, when any desired length of each strip is taken out of two coils for welding each end of the strip, how should it be fed into a welding machine? Also, When a strip having some length is taken out respectively of the two coils for welding, what action is taken to correct the twisting or sag, etc. in the strip into a proper form before and after the welding? How the strip connected into a continuous form after the welding is taken up? And how the load of taking up derived from the weight of the strip and the twisting and sag of the strip are taken care of? Further, what should be done for properly taking care of the consecutive processing of connecting a plurality of coils into a continuous form one by one and then stacking the same?
But, as far as the applicants could detect, to their regret, there is no method of stacking a plurality of coils, nor equipment for taking up and stacking the coils which are known to have solved such various problems.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a consolidated transferring method with a premise of welding a plurality of coils into a continuous form.
Another object of the present invention relates to a plurality of coils each formed by winding a metallic strip and lies in providing such a coil transfer method that coils are transferred by a coil transfer line in which a transfer means is combined with various kinds of equipment including a welding machine, and after the process of forming the coils into a continuous shape with the welding machine, the coil at the rear position as viewed in the coil transfer direction is transferred while the coil at the forward position is taken up, absorbing the sag in the strip, and the coil from the rear position is stacked on the coil in the forward position.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide such a coil transfer method that a plurality of large and heavy coils are conveyed by a transfer equipment, and strips supplied to a welding machine are welded one by one, then the strip and the sag in the strip is taken up and absorbed by a rotation of the coil at the forward position without scratching the strip, and the coil in the rear position is stacked over the coil in the forward position on an exit side turn table thus forming a plurality of coils which have been made into a continuous shape, then the coils can be taken out finally from the transfer line as one consolidated product, thus such a continuous transfer process as suited to the properties of the coil and the strip can be achieved.
Further, another object of the present invention is to provide such coil taking up and stacking equipment so that coils of metallic strips which have been welded and formed into a continuous shape are so processed as taking up one of the coils while transferring the other coil, with due care being paid to the properties of the coil and the strip, and one of the coil is stacked on the other coil.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide such coil taking up and stacking equipment so that the coil at the forward position, out of two coils which are in forward and rear positions respectively in a coil transfer direction and at the same time are connected to each other by welding, is rotated in a horizontal state on a turn table device, also the coil in the rear position is held and transferred in a horizontal state by a transfer equipment, then the strip is taken up by the coil at the forward position and the coil in the rear position is stacked on the coil at the forward position.
Further, another object of the present invention is to provide such coil taking up and stacking equipment that when coils are welded one by one to form them into a continuous coil and are taken up and stacked, two coils in the front and rear positions are dividedly supported by a transfer equipment and a turn table device, where the turn table device can take up the strip with edges of the strip aligned well and even when the coil has a tilt or warp, etc. generated therein, a position being safe relative to the coil can be taken by a follow-up function, thus avoiding a damage on a guide roll device for guiding the take up.